Yankee Stadium ‘Service Fee’ Scheme Now Disclosed To Beer Drinkers

Back in May, a group of beer and food servers at Yankee Stadium sued the concession company they worked for, accusing Legends Hospitality of pocketing their hard-earned tips. Legends — which is co-owned by the Yankees, the Dallas Cowboys and Goldman Sachs — seems to have gotten the vendors’ message, judging from revamped menus now found inside the stadium.

The vendors’ lawsuit revolves around an involuntary 20 percent service fee that’s tacked on to the original price of a cold beer, hot dog and any other ballpark fare sold to fans in lower-level seats. Although most fans would assume the 20 percent fee is a tip, the bulk of that surcharge has been going not to the hustling vendors but to Legends itself, according to the lawsuit. Brian Schaffer, an attorney for the vendors, previously told HuffPost that Legends management had forbade his clients from explaining to spectators how the system really works.

But now fans can see for themselves, thanks to a disclaimer added to the food menu [see photo below] sometime between the filing of the vendors’ lawsuit in federal court and last week’s sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. It reads, in part:

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